I’m more nervous on stage than when I’m in front of camera: Shriya Pilgaonkar

Actor Shriya Pilgaonkar, who rose to fame with Shah Rukh Khan starrer-Fan (2016), shares her tryst with theatre, quest for role in films and equation with her parents.

Her parents are benchmarks when it comes to acting, yet Shriya Pilgaonkar doesn’t feel the pressure of expectations from the audience. In Delhi, to perform a play, daughter of actors Supriya Pilgaonkar and Sachin Pilgaonkar, says, “Internal Affairs is my first full-length play.”

Actor Shriya Pilgaonkar.

The Fan actor says that the play is a comic take on modern-day relationships. “I still remember the first time I was on stage. It was for a short play Dilnaz and the Chocolate Cake. And the only reason why I did it was because we used to rehearse with real chocolate cake,” she says.

Having acted, since childhood, in both theatre and films, she confesses, “On stage I’m slightly nervous than when I’m in front of camera. Because when on the stage, the mind can’t waiver but at the same time, the energy to be on the stage makes me feel alive.”

A scene from the play Internal Affairs.

Elated to perform on the Delhi stage, Shriya says she still fondly remembers the one time that she travelled to Delhi in a train. “I was in the eighth standard and was selected as part of my school to meet Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. I was really impressed by his speech and leadership and that one trip to Delhi remains to be my favourite till date. Of course, after that when I shot for fan in Delhi, I learnt a lot from my director Maneesh (Sharma). Since he is from Delhi, he used to call for the best chaat on the sets and I had lots of Delhi’s amazing food.”

What was the reaction of her parents when they saw her in Fan? “They were really thrilled but said: We want to see more of you on screen.” “In the next film, it will surely happen,” she says.

Who is her bigger critique, her mother or father? “Both but my mother, in general, is more critical of my work. But my father is also critical of my work. So there’s a good balance at home.”